Honda "Drive by Wire" question... what if the power goes out?

Few use manual transmissions now, and even if they did, the 'by wire'
technology
would not change a thing.

Even with diesels, 'by wire' actuation does nothing unique.

IF automated highways ever became a reality, then a totally electronic
system
might be the way to go...collision avoidance, route selection, traffic flow
optimization,
police interception, etc...all might be controlled by computer...

I think I will stay home if that ever happens...

 

Yet brakes still fail now and then, from lines going bad, slipping,
etc.

My only question, however, was regarding the steering should power be
lost. I have had experience with an engine going offline while at
speed, and would prefer to maintain some steering control if I ever
found myself in a similar situation! Dittos for you or anyone else hwo
happened to be out on the road with me. I still am not sure about
whether Honda has or is going to have DBW steering, and as for
throttle, I asked at another dealership today. None of the sales staff
really had any specifics on how DBW throttle works, or if they are
going to do steering that way. The write up book I saw on the features
and specifications for the forthcoming Honda SI Civic (Which I had
heard would have it at the other place) had no mention at all of any
DBW throttle or features. If they are trying to "slip it in there" like
that at Honda, that's pretty sneaky. Truth be known, if the one
salesperson hadn't told me, I might never have known to ask.

David

 

Yet brakes still fail now and then, from lines going bad, slipping,
etc.

My only question, however, was regarding the steering should power be
lost. I have had experience with an engine going offline while at
speed, and would prefer to maintain some steering control if I ever
found myself in a similar situation! Dittos for you or anyone else hwo
happened to be out on the road with me. I still am not sure about
whether Honda has or is going to have DBW steering, and as for
throttle, I asked at another dealership today. None of the sales staff
really had any specifics on how DBW throttle works, or if they are
going to do steering that way. The write up book I saw on the features
and specifications for the forthcoming Honda SI Civic (Which I had
heard would have it at the other place) had no mention at all of any
DBW throttle or features. If they are trying to "slip it in there" like
that at Honda, that's pretty sneaky. Truth be known, if the one
salesperson hadn't told me, I might never have known to ask.

David

 

Were talking the electronic throttle body=no throttle cable. and it sends
the 3 signals along the same wire (I believe
Now I'm gonna have to find that book...


--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/bl_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/

 

Were talking the electronic throttle body=no throttle cable. and it sends
the 3 signals along the same wire (I believe
Now I'm gonna have to find that book...


--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/bl_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/

 

Whoops. Obviously I meant "brake pedal" instead of "gas pedal".

 

Whoops. Obviously I meant "brake pedal" instead of "gas pedal".

 

Thank you for actually answering OP's question!

J.

 

Thank you for actually answering OP's question!

J.

 

It's a dirty job, but somebody had to do it...

 

It's a dirty job, but somebody had to do it...

 

Then I concentrate it a bit by saying that: airplane fly-by-wire
addressed certain laws-of-physics issues that pointed up serious
shortcomings in previous control systems. Cable control of the
automotive throttle has not that sort of limitation where it would be
fundamentally incapable of reliable and durable operation under normal
and expected operating conditions. Therefore, replacing a cable with a
servomotor in a car does not grant functional improvement to an auto
throttle the way a servomotor would to, say, an airplane rudder.

Is that better?

I used to grow weary of replacing the points and condenser every 6,000
miles, so yes, electronic ignition (just to cite one example) has been
a boon for the automotive enthusiast who wishes to do something else
besides getting a backache and needing to find his bifocals.

However, this convenience comes at quite a price. I remember a
points-and-condenser set costing the equivalent of a few dollars. If a
modern electronic ignition component fails, you could spend the
equivalent of 20-years worth of points-and-condensers replacing it.

This *is* Usenet, after all. Kvetching-R-Us.

 

Then I concentrate it a bit by saying that: airplane fly-by-wire
addressed certain laws-of-physics issues that pointed up serious
shortcomings in previous control systems. Cable control of the
automotive throttle has not that sort of limitation where it would be
fundamentally incapable of reliable and durable operation under normal
and expected operating conditions. Therefore, replacing a cable with a
servomotor in a car does not grant functional improvement to an auto
throttle the way a servomotor would to, say, an airplane rudder.

Is that better?

I used to grow weary of replacing the points and condenser every 6,000
miles, so yes, electronic ignition (just to cite one example) has been
a boon for the automotive enthusiast who wishes to do something else
besides getting a backache and needing to find his bifocals.

However, this convenience comes at quite a price. I remember a
points-and-condenser set costing the equivalent of a few dollars. If a
modern electronic ignition component fails, you could spend the
equivalent of 20-years worth of points-and-condensers replacing it.

This *is* Usenet, after all. Kvetching-R-Us.

 

Sure.

I think I would have just said that the demands of operating
a plane are quite a bit different from the demands of
operating a car. One pushes against air to move; the other
pushes against the ground to move, for one.

It was your somewhat disrespecting the outcome of regulatory
impetus, as well as ignoring that other improvements not a
result of regulation, that seemed to me to be off the mark.

No big deal. Your first post had already reduced the slop in
this discussion substantially.

bifocals.

Sure.

Though as an aside, one of the regulars at the Honda
newsgroup discovered that the external radio noise condenser
some older Hondas have does wear over time and replacing it
may improve performance. While it's not located electrically
in the exact same place that the old points condenser was
located, it does serve a kind of analogous function,
protecting, for one, the igniter, just as the old points
condenser protected the points, etc.

replacing it.

I'm not sure what a precise cost-benefit (including
reliability; that has a pricetag) analysis would yield, but
certainly I see your point.

Just that radio noise condenser to which I refer above goes
for about $6 today through online Honda OEM parts sites. I'm
not sure one can just run over to Radio Shack and replace it
for a lot less.

 

Sure.

I think I would have just said that the demands of operating
a plane are quite a bit different from the demands of
operating a car. One pushes against air to move; the other
pushes against the ground to move, for one.

It was your somewhat disrespecting the outcome of regulatory
impetus, as well as ignoring that other improvements not a
result of regulation, that seemed to me to be off the mark.

No big deal. Your first post had already reduced the slop in
this discussion substantially.

bifocals.

Sure.

Though as an aside, one of the regulars at the Honda
newsgroup discovered that the external radio noise condenser
some older Hondas have does wear over time and replacing it
may improve performance. While it's not located electrically
in the exact same place that the old points condenser was
located, it does serve a kind of analogous function,
protecting, for one, the igniter, just as the old points
condenser protected the points, etc.

replacing it.

I'm not sure what a precise cost-benefit (including
reliability; that has a pricetag) analysis would yield, but
certainly I see your point.

Just that radio noise condenser to which I refer above goes
for about $6 today through online Honda OEM parts sites. I'm
not sure one can just run over to Radio Shack and replace it
for a lot less.

 

What does naming any car with drive by wire system have anything to do with
Honda's description of the "feature" as it relates to their implementation?

 

What does naming any car with drive by wire system have anything to do with
Honda's description of the "feature" as it relates to their implementation?

 

Two points to make: 1) I always watch out for Mercedes anyway, because I
presume they're driven by twits and I haven't forgiven Daimler for
screwing up Chrysler, 2) I'm pretty sure that even their "brake by wire"
has a mechanical fallback, although I'm not sure it utilizes all 4
brakes to anything like full capacity.

I think the second part of your statement is important here. How often
have you ever heard of a complete failure of a mechanical steering
system? Now go back to the 1920s, and in all that time and all those
billions of vehicle miles travelled, have their been many cases? (I
don't have the numbers, but I'm pretty confident they're small but
nonzero). At any rate, it would be VERY hard to design and build a
complex electronic system that is as simple and dead-nuts reliable as a
worm-and-sector gear or a rack-and-pinion. Its kinda like trying to
build an electric walnut crusher that is more reliable than a brick.

 

Two points to make: 1) I always watch out for Mercedes anyway, because I
presume they're driven by twits and I haven't forgiven Daimler for
screwing up Chrysler, 2) I'm pretty sure that even their "brake by wire"
has a mechanical fallback, although I'm not sure it utilizes all 4
brakes to anything like full capacity.

I think the second part of your statement is important here. How often
have you ever heard of a complete failure of a mechanical steering
system? Now go back to the 1920s, and in all that time and all those
billions of vehicle miles travelled, have their been many cases? (I
don't have the numbers, but I'm pretty confident they're small but
nonzero). At any rate, it would be VERY hard to design and build a
complex electronic system that is as simple and dead-nuts reliable as a
worm-and-sector gear or a rack-and-pinion. Its kinda like trying to
build an electric walnut crusher that is more reliable than a brick.

 

Yeah, the tundra's great. Unless you need to haul, tow, carry, pull, or
otherwise do real work. I can't believe the STUPIDITY of the Japanese
makers in trying to get in on the dying tails of the poseur truck
market, selling luxury pseudo-trucks to people that need a truck like a
hole in the head. Ford, Dodge, and Chevy will always sell their real
work trucks to contractors farmers and ranchers, even when the poseur
market is gone. Toyota, Nissan, and (especially) Honda with that
ridiculous front-drive Ridgeline will have a lot of wasted engineering
investment on their hands.